Gamemaker Studio 2 vs Unity

Overview

Unity

Stacks1.8K

Followers1.4K

Votes78

Gamemaker Studio 2

Stacks40

Followers76

Votes21

Gamemaker Studio 2 vs Unity: What are the differences?

Gamemaker Studio 2 and Unity are popular game development engines. Let's explore the key differences between them.

Development Platforms: Gamemaker Studio 2 primarily targets Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android platforms, while Unity supports a wider range of platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and more. Unity provides more flexibility for developers looking to target a variety of platforms.
Programming Languages: Gamemaker Studio 2 uses its proprietary scripting language called GML (Gamemaker Language), which is specifically designed for game development. On the other hand, Unity offers support for multiple programming languages including C#, JavaScript, and Boo. This provides developers with more options and the ability to choose their preferred programming language.
Asset Management: Gamemaker Studio 2 utilizes a drag-and-drop system for handling assets, allowing users to easily import and organize their game elements. Unity, however, employs a hierarchical asset management system where users can organize resources using folders and subfolders. This hierarchical structure provides better organization and ease of access to assets in large projects.
Visual Scripting: Gamemaker Studio 2 incorporates a visual scripting system called Drag and Drop (DnD), which enables users to create game logic without writing any code. In contrast, Unity offers a similar visual scripting system called Playmaker, but it is not included in the standard Unity package and needs to be purchased separately. Gamemaker Studio 2 provides a built-in visual scripting solution, making it more accessible for beginners and those who prefer a code-free approach.
User Interface Design: Gamemaker Studio 2 features a user-friendly and simplified user interface where users can easily navigate and access game components. Unity, on the other hand, provides a more complex and feature-rich user interface with a wide range of customizable options. Unity's interface offers more flexibility and customization for advanced users who prefer a high level of control over their game development process.
Community and Support: Both Gamemaker Studio 2 and Unity have active communities and offer extensive support resources. However, Unity has a larger community with a wider range of resources, tutorials, and plugins available. Unity's larger community means there are more opportunities for collaboration, learning, and troubleshooting.

In summary, Gamemaker Studio 2 primarily targets Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android platforms and uses its proprietary scripting language GML, while Unity supports a wider range of platforms, offers support for multiple programming languages, and provides more flexibility in asset management, visual scripting, user interface design, and community support.

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Advice on Unity, Gamemaker Studio 2

Alexey

Software Engineer / Game Developer at Norlin Games

Jun 11, 2020

Decided

When I started to learn game development, I've tried to use Unity multiple times because it's the most popular option. But never get it worked because of the clunky UI which is very hard to understand for a new user. After some time, I've decided to try UE4 despite there was a lot of rumors that it's "heavy" or requires an AAA team. And suddenly it clicked, everything works as I expecting, UI is clear and much more powerfull, no need to build custom tools to work on the game itself. Blueprints are very helpful for beginners, C++ has a lot of "syntax-sugar" - macroses, a lot of convenient in-engine types for everything. Later while working with Unreal, I've realized it has very consistent roadmap with constant improvements and adding new features. At the same time, each major version update is painless so you can upgrade your project during development to get new features. UE4 is free to use with the full list of features and you only have to pay royalty after getting your first $1 million from the project (and that's just the default case, you can always discuss custom license with an upfront fee, if you want to).

92.3k views92.3k

Comments

Arthur

Software Engineer at Value Industry

Mar 1, 2020

Decided

I chose Unity over Unreal Engine because Unity has a more user friendly UI for beginners looking to learn game development. Additionally, as someone who uses a lot of online resources to learn new languages and tools, I found a lot of tutorials covering game development with Unity as the core engine. This doesn't mean Unreal is not a great choice for game development, I just personally found learning game development much smoother with the amount of resources available with Unity.

89.8k views89.8k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Unity	Gamemaker Studio 2
Unity is the ultimate game development platform. Use Unity to build high-quality 3D and 2D games, deploy them across mobile, desktop, VR/AR, consoles or the Web, and connect with loyal and enthusiastic players and customers.	It has everything you need to take your idea from concept to finished game. With no barriers to entry and powerful functionality.
-	Backwards Compatible; YoYo Account; Laptop Mode
Statistics
Stacks 1.8K	Stacks 40
Followers 1.4K	Followers 76
Votes 78	Votes 21
Pros & Cons
Pros 17 Because it's a powerful engine, you can build anything 15 C# language 12 Very Popular 8 Easy to Use 7 Cross Platform Cons 4 Closed source 4 Clunky UI 4 Hard to get started with 3 No consistency with updates 3 Requires to build a lot of tools	Pros 3 Powerful System 3 Incredibly Easy to Learn 3 Good User Interface 3 Quick Prototyping 3 Good Documentation Cons 3 HTML5 export is buggy 3 Quite Expensive 2 Not the best scripting language 1 Limited Support For OOP 1 Unstable
Integrations
No integrations available	Android Studio Firebase HTML5 CSS 3 PlayFab

What are some alternatives to Unity, Gamemaker Studio 2?

Godot

It is an advanced, feature-packed, multi-platform 2D and 3D open source game engine. It is developed by hundreds of contributors from all around the world.

Unreal Engine

It is a game engine that helps you make games. It is made up of several components that work together to drive the game. Its massive system of tools and editors allows you to organize your assets and manipulate them to create the gameplay for your game.

Panda3D

It is a game engine that includes graphics, audio, I/O, collision detection, and other abilities relevant to the creation of 3D games.

pygame

It is a cross-platform set of Python modules designed for writing video games. It includes computer graphics and sound libraries designed to be used with the Python programming language.

Corona SDK

It is a cross-platform framework ideal for rapidly creating apps and games for mobile devices and desktop systems. It builds rich mobile apps for iOS, Android, Kindle and Nook. Build high quality mobile apps in a fraction of the time.

Buildbox

It is the easiest drag and drop game maker software.Make your own games without coding and export them to iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, PC and Microconsoles.

AppGameKit

It is an easy to learn game development engine, ideal for Beginners, Hobbyists & Indie developers. It solves many problems caused by mobile device fragmentation. With it you can code your game once and then deploy your game to multiple platforms. Different resolutions and input systems are all easily handled by it.

Amazon Lumberyard

It is a game engine with no royalties or seat fees, frictionless integration with Twitch and AWS, plus much more on the horizon.

Phaser

It is a free open source HTML5 game framework. It uses Pixi.js for WebGL and Canvas rendering across desktop and mobile web browsers. Games can be compiled to iOS and Android apps via 3rd party tools.

libGDX

The framework provides an environment for rapid prototyping and fast iterations. Instead of deploying to Android/iOS/Javascript after each code change, you can run and debug your game on the desktop, natively. Desktop JVM features like code hotswapping reduce your iteration times considerably.

Related Comparisons

Gamemaker Studio 2 vs Unity: What are the differences?

Gamemaker Studio 2 and Unity are popular game development engines. Let's explore the key differences between them.

Development Platforms: Gamemaker Studio 2 primarily targets Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android platforms, while Unity supports a wider range of platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and more. Unity provides more flexibility for developers looking to target a variety of platforms.
Programming Languages: Gamemaker Studio 2 uses its proprietary scripting language called GML (Gamemaker Language), which is specifically designed for game development. On the other hand, Unity offers support for multiple programming languages including C#, JavaScript, and Boo. This provides developers with more options and the ability to choose their preferred programming language.
Asset Management: Gamemaker Studio 2 utilizes a drag-and-drop system for handling assets, allowing users to easily import and organize their game elements. Unity, however, employs a hierarchical asset management system where users can organize resources using folders and subfolders. This hierarchical structure provides better organization and ease of access to assets in large projects.
Visual Scripting: Gamemaker Studio 2 incorporates a visual scripting system called Drag and Drop (DnD), which enables users to create game logic without writing any code. In contrast, Unity offers a similar visual scripting system called Playmaker, but it is not included in the standard Unity package and needs to be purchased separately. Gamemaker Studio 2 provides a built-in visual scripting solution, making it more accessible for beginners and those who prefer a code-free approach.
User Interface Design: Gamemaker Studio 2 features a user-friendly and simplified user interface where users can easily navigate and access game components. Unity, on the other hand, provides a more complex and feature-rich user interface with a wide range of customizable options. Unity's interface offers more flexibility and customization for advanced users who prefer a high level of control over their game development process.
Community and Support: Both Gamemaker Studio 2 and Unity have active communities and offer extensive support resources. However, Unity has a larger community with a wider range of resources, tutorials, and plugins available. Unity's larger community means there are more opportunities for collaboration, learning, and troubleshooting.

Gamemaker Studio 2 vs Unity

Overview